Hollywood Reflecting a Trump World

Like many others in this nation, I am still processing the results of election night and coming to acceptance [denial] that we will have Donald Trump as our Commander in Chief starting January 2017.

But what does this mean for the Hollywood entertainment industry, which is known to be overwhelmingly liberal? It is too early to exactly tell what the ramifications are but according to this Hollywood Reporter article, we may have rather troubling times ahead.

“Now, Clinton’s stunning defeat has left Hollywood in shock — and questioning whether it is out of touch with a wide swath of the country by assuming she would win.”

Questioning whether it is out of touch? Oof.

“The major film and television studios were similarly taking stock, but top executives were loath to speak out publicly, since their companies will now have to work with a Trump administration after Democratic President Barack Obama’s eight-year administration comes to an end in January.”

These statements worry me. Not that Hollywood was SUPER progressive anyways as it was more politically correct than anything but by saying this, there is a possibility that there will be essentially more white leads in traditional safe American family value story lines. Because after all, that reflects the majority of Trump supporters.

Does this mean studios will no longer take chances with films like Moonlight, Loving, or any recent surge in minority led films & storylines? Does this mean the incredible diverse push in the TV world will be halted to make room for television that will be Trump friendly?

Seriously, go watch this movie.

I am very well aware that the President cannot have the final say in what kind of television shows and movies are to be produced, but if Hollywood is worried that they are out of touch in reflecting the voters who voted for Trump, then the possibility of even MORE white heterosexual traditional American stories to be the top focus is real.

Will this affect companies like Shondaland where they push forward with diverse main leads or will this dry them up? Even if they are making profit (which we have seen that diversity truly does sell), will media companies push that aside in order to not upset the upcoming Trump presidency? These are questions worth having as we now have a President who gets upset when Saturday Night Live parodies him and calls out for the show to be cancelled.

May this brilliant satirical portrayal never, ever stop

I worry for the future but at the same time, know that even if the top level Hollywood executives put a halt on diverse storytelling, that diverse storytelling itself will never stop. In fact, it may inspire those of us who have never done it to go forth and have their voices be expressed, with or without big studio money.

Published by Edward Hong

7 comments

they got more than just the presidency, they got the whole country. and art (film) immitates life. dont be surprised if in the next couple of years you see the progress stop and an insurgence of more conservative tv and films.

This also makes me think about the effect on television. The superhero shows of the WB, or the Berlantiverse as some call it, have been good and progressive on some fronts (with some mistakes such as killing off Sara Lance the first time around), Supergirl has Maggie sawyer a lesbian woman of colour, and showing Alex Danvers as coming out…

How much pressure is television producers and showrunners going to be under not to have storylines with LGBTQ POC, with the top execs citing not ‘alienating the core audience members’ and other BS reasons?

At the very least, sites like youtube will continue to have a wide, diverse array of webisodes and series, and yeah, such diversity and progress in other avenues won’t stop. Entertainment is more than just the United States.

Eh that a bit alarmist (No it is alarmist and silly ) ( First thing like Stuff like moonlight is always indie and niche that irrelevant to blockbuster movies in that regard of large tv shows. Same with very white heteronormative shows that are indie and niche these thing rarely make any money and are made on lower budgets ) . and Big blockbuster things are aimed at the world . 2Fast 2 Furious had a massive diverse cast and sold well so I can’t see any changes to that since diverse big budget films do very well , suicide Squad . There not pinnacles of Progressive Purity but they sale well . . American TV won’t change unless the current crop of shows stop selling well and far as I can see the current shows are selling well . . Trump victory has more to do with Entertainment (Reality TV meanness ) and Clinton being an unpopular candidate in general . Like .. if you look at the Poll TRUMP DID WORSE Than Romney did .. and Obama beat him single handely … only 15 -20 % of the population voted for trump , Close to 50 % did NOT vote . It not that America has gotten more Racist , it just that Hilary was a Weak candidate we have the same amount of racist as we did under obama , There ” embolden by Trump ” more to say